18 months for Baltimore officer

A Baltimore police officer will spend a year and a half in jail for firing his department-issued handgun at two men who were driving away from him after a bar fight.

Patrick Dotson received a 10-year sentence Thursday, with all but 18 months suspended. He pleaded guilty in July to two counts of first-degree assault.

The shooting happened in March of last year. Prosecutors say Dotson fought with a man outside a bar in Baltimore’s Canton neighborhood. As the man and a friend drove away from the scene, Dotson fired his weapon at their car, and a bullet struck a rear panel near the gas tank.

The 28-year-old Dotson has been suspended since the shooting, and now that he’s been sentenced, the department will begin the process of firing him.

Guess he showed them who was boss. Way to get fired from a career job with excellent retirement and health benefits just to win a bar fight...great thinking!
We won't be seeing this guy on "Jeopardy" tonight...that's for sure.

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